§ Mr. JOHN ROCHEasked the Attorney-General for Ireland whether the Crown took proceedings recently against Mr. Martin Finnerty, county Galway, to pre-vent him from acting as district councillor; whether the Crown allowed Mr. William Hastings, of Ballinasloe, county Galway, to act for years as urban councillor after his being disqualified in consequence of his becoming contractor to the council whilst being member of the same; and can he state the reason of the different treatment of those two men?
§ Mr. REDMOND BARRYProceedings were taken with the authority of the Government against Mr. Martin Finnerty for acting as a District Councillor, when disqualified by the fact that he had been 583W convicted of an offence and sentenced to hard labour. The disqualification of Mr. Hastings arose, I am informed, from his connection with a contract with the council while he was a member. That was a matter of which the police had no official knowledge, and it was primarily one for the consideration of the ratepayers. In fact, prosecutions were instituted by private complainants on the subject against Mr. Hastings.